U2

One of the biggest bands of the last 25 years, U2 began life in Dublin, Ireland in 1976, holding their first rehearsal in the kitchen of drummer Larry Mullen Jr. From that inauspicious beginning U2 flourished, eventually becoming permanently woven into the pop-culture fabric of modern Western society. Playing under several different names, and at one time with a line-up of seven musicians, it was in 1978 that the band officially became both U2 and a foursome, and their final line-up -- Paul "Bono" Hewson on vocals, Dave "The Edge" Evans on lead guitar, Adam Clayton on bass, and Larry Mullen on drums -- hasn't changed. This quartet won a talent competition in Limerick and brought themselves to the attention of the man who became their manager, Paul McGuinness.